Coastal Mains
Chicken and Mushroom Paprikash
The Strategy:
This dish is an exercise in building layered, deeply savory comfort. By pounding the chicken breasts thin and dredging them in an aggressive amount of paprika and flour, we ensure a crust that acts as a thickening agent for the final sauce. The true secret here, however, is patience with the mushrooms. Leaving them undisturbed in hot butter allows them to deeply caramelize rather than steam. Deglazing that rich, earthy pan with dry sherry and folding in cool, tangy sour cream completely transforms the pan drippings into a luxurious, velvet-smooth gravy that demands a starch to soak it up.
Ingredients
- 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 pints button mushrooms, sliced
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup dry sherry
- 1 cup homemade chicken stock or prepared low-sodium broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap or waxed paper. Use a meat mallet (or rolling pin) to pound the chicken breasts to about ½-inch thickness.
- Transfer the chicken breasts to a resealable plastic bag.
- Add in the flour, paprika, ground red pepper, and salt.
- Seal the bag and shake it to coat all of the chicken.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Remove the chicken from the bag, shaking off excess flour, and place into the skillet. Cook on one side until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes. Use tongs to flip and cook on the second side until golden, about 5 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a platter.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in the same skillet.
- Add the mushrooms and walk away! Let the mushrooms turn a rich, golden color on one side before you flip them to cook the second side, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium.
- Season the mushrooms with salt and black pepper.
- Pour in the sherry and cook until most of the liquid has disappeared, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Pour in the chicken broth and stir in the tomato paste.
- Place the chicken back into the skillet. Simmer the chicken in the sauce until it is cooked through, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Turn off the heat.
- Stir in the sour cream to create a velvety, rich, gravy-like sauce.
- Serve the chicken with a ladleful of sauce and garnish with fresh parsley and green onions.
Thing to Note:
When you see a basket or brown bag full of mushrooms at the market, don\u2019t hesitate to bring them home. The best way to clean them is with a dry (or slightly damp) paper towel. Gently rub the dirt away.
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The Heart of the Table
Paprikash is inherently rustic, but serving it beautifully elevates it into an incredibly intimate, deeply satisfying dinner party main. It’s the kind of meal that instantly makes guests feel entirely at home, wrapping them in warmth and the unmistakable aroma of toasted paprika and butter-browned mushrooms.
Neighborly Grace
- THE PRESENTATION: Do not over-plate this. Serve the golden chicken breasts resting on a massive, rustic platter of buttered wide egg noodles. Generously ladle the deeply red, velvet-smooth mushroom gravy over the top, letting it pool around the pasta. The final heavy shower of bright green parsley and crisp green onions is vital to cut the richness.
- THE POUR: The earthy mushrooms and rich sour cream sauce require a wine with structure but enough fruit to complement the paprika. A cru Beaujolais, served slightly chilled, or a medium-bodied Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley will highlight the earthiness without overpowering the delicate chicken.
- THE VIBE: Deeply comforting coastal winter. This is the meal you crave when the ocean breeze turns crisp and you want nothing more than to gather your closest friends around a massive wooden table for a rich, soul-warming dinner.
